Hastings snap up Walton attacking player

Simon Newstead

Hastings United Football Club manager Darren Hare has bolstered his heavily stretched squad by signing an attacking player from Walton Casuals today (Friday).

Kiernan Hughes-Mason, a winger/striker, has joined a United side which he actually scored against in his second appearance for Walton on Wednesday October 26, a game which Walton won 3-2 having trailed 1-0 at half time.

Hare told the club website: "Kiernan scored against us at Walton, but he was already on our radar before then and I am delighted he has agreed to join us. He is versatile, can play anywhere across the front four with effect, and will add extra firepower and pace to our attack.

"We are also looking at strengthening the squad in other areas over the next couple of weeks to give us the depth we need to mount a challenge on climbing the table, but we want to make sure we bring in the right players."

Hughes-Mason played alongside the likes of Jack Wilshere in the youth ranks at Arsenal before being released aged 14 and subsequently spending a year with Tottenham Hotspur. He then had two years in the youth section at Millwall and made his professional debut for the Lions in August 2009 at the age of 17.

The 25-year-old made just a couple of appearances for Millwall before going on loan to Cheltenham Town, Tooting & Mitcham United and Chelmsford City. Spells with Kettering Town and Grimsby Town followed before Hughes-Mason scored 11 goals in 49 appearances (in all competitions) as Welling United won promotion from Conference South in 2012/13.

Hughes-Mason made nine appearances for Maidstone United in 2014 prior to scoring 31 goals in 112 outings for Leatherhead from 2014 until moving to Walton last month. He featured regularly for the Tanners under recently-appointed manager Jimmy Bullard.

The player will now link up with a United squad striving to start climbing the Ryman Football League Division One South table. United are down in 14th at present, albeit having played between two and six games fewer than every other club in the division.

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